Josiah

Judean king noted for his reforms of Israel's worship in the time of Jeremiah.

Background

Josiah was the son of King Amon, who had engaged in pagan worship. Josiah was made king at the age of eight after his father's assassination. He reigned during the last half of the seventh century B.C. Josiah's religious reforms were occasioned in part by the discovery of a scroll in the Temple, which was probably the book of Deuteronomy. Like Hezekiah, he sought to eliminate the worship of Baal, Astarte and other foreign deities, and he centralized worship in Jerusalem. Josiah was king when Jeremiah began to prophesy. Josiah attempted to assert greater independence from Assyria, but he was killed in battle with the Egyptians, who were allied with Assyria.